What happened
The accident occurred while a student pilot was conducting practice takeoffs and landings. During one of the landing attempts, the pilot reported that a sudden gust of wind struck the aircraft just prior to touchdown in the landing flare. This gust caused the pilot to lose directional control of the aircraft.
As a result of the loss of control, the aircraft veered off the side of the runway and entered a snow bank. The impact with the snow bank caused the aircraft to overturn. At the time of the accident, weather conditions included a crosswind of approximately 60 degrees at a speed of about 10 knots.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the circumstances surrounding the loss of directional control during the landing flare. The primary factor identified was the gust of wind that disrupted the pilot's ability to maintain runway alignment at a critical phase of flight.
Findings
Contributing factors included the crosswind conditions and the resulting gust that led to the loss of directional control. The pilot's inability to counteract the gust during the flare resulted in the aircraft leaving the paved surface and overturning in the snow bank.